Caffeine is the world's most consumed mood altering drug. It has an impact on our day to day lives and on our environment.
Before coming to college I never drank any soda or coffee. I’m now at a point where I need at least one cup a day. It was for this reason that I decided to look into the negative impact caffeine has on us and on the world.
THE PROBLEM:
It is estimated that between 80 and 90% of people in North America habitually drink caffeine. Daily, about 17 ounces of coffee or 84 ounces of soda are consumed. Studies have proven that 30mg or less of caffeine can alter mood and behavior. 100mg per day can lead to physical dependence. 70% of soft drinks contain caffeine. Caffeine is the most widely consumed mood altering drug in the world.[1]
SO WHY WORRY?
Ok, so caffeine is bad for us and has lots of health risks, but how is this a sustainability issue?
Well, FDA regulations restrict coffee cups from being only recycled paper, so instead, they are typically 100% bleached virgin paperboard that is then coated in a plastic resin to help keep the contents hot. The plastic keeps the contents from leaking, but also prevents the cup from being recyclable. In 2006, 16 billion paper cups were thrown away. This translates into 951 thousand tons of wood, 4 billion gallons of water and 253 million pounds of solid waste.[2]
Some studies have shown that Americans drink more than 100 billion cups of coffee every year. Almost 15 billion of those are bought in disposable paper cups. Paper and cardboard make up over 40% of the solid waste in North American landfills. Of that amount, almost 40% is from disposable coffee cups. The average American office worker uses about 500 disposable cups every year.
Every 3 seconds a baby is born. Every 3 seconds 140 cans are born. A recycled aluminum can can be back on the shelf in 60 days. They are also the most recycled beverage container in the world. Over the past ten years, the amount of recycled cans has doubled, but the average employee consumes 2.5 cans of soda each day at work[3]
Coca-Cola is trying to help with the situation. They have developed a bottle that is made from renewable, recycled plastic and they have built a recycling center to make these bottles. It is a step in the right direction but it is not truly sustainable once the trucks that have to carry all of these bottles are counted in, never mind the power that runs the center. The new bottle design is called PlantBottle and is made by converting natural sugars from plants such as sugar cane and molasses, into a key ingredient for PET plastic. PlantBottle is up to 30% plant based. The next step in research is to use sugar from plant wastes such as stems, barks and fruit peels.[4]
Another issue is how they make something decaffeinated. One of the solvents traditionally used to remove caffeine from coffee beans was methylene chloride, which is a carcinogen that is linked to health problems. Industry is beginning to switch to using liquid carbon dioxide.[5]
Stephen Cherniske, M.S. proposes in his book Caffeine Blues, that if caffeine were to be introduced today as a brand new food additive, the FDA would not approve it due to the many health effects it has. Caffeine is a natural compound found in plants where it serves as a natural pesticide as it works to paralyze insects feeding on the plants. It is a substance that is produced with the sole purpose to harm the creatures that ingest it. There are no studies that show any positive effects from coffee.[6]
THE SOLUTION:
In Boulder, Colorado, there is a coffee shop which is “green”. They have been awarded the “Zero Waste or Darn Near” award from Eco-Cycle and for good reason. They recycle and compost 95% of their waste. They have minimal waste, direct sourcing, trade with local farms and organic beans. This sounds like an ideal that every coffee shop should try to achieve. [7]
A lot of coffee shops also try to give their customers discounts when they bring in their reusable mugs. The initial environmental impact of producing the mugs is greater than that of paper cups, but in theory, the impact should lessen as people reuse the cups. A study showed that a stainless steel mug breaks even after 24 uses. Most mugs are designed to last for at least 3000. The reusable mugs are better for the coffee shops too. The Starbucks Green Team estimated that an average Starbucks store that served drinks in 3 or 4 reusable cups an hour could save hundreds of dollars just in cost of paper cups.[8]
However, not everyone goes to a coffee shop to drink coffee. The new trend is in K-cups which are small, one serving sized coffee plastic cups with aluminum foil lids. With every step forward there is another option back so the biggest way we can make a difference is by trying to reduce our caffeine intake and for that needed boost of caffeine, we can remember to use our own reusable mugs.
Caffeine is the world's most consumed mood altering drug. It has an impact on our day to day lives and on our environment.
Before coming to college I never drank any soda or coffee. I’m now at a point where I need at least one cup a day. It was for this reason that I decided to look into the negative impact caffeine has on us and on the world.
THE PROBLEM:
It is estimated that between 80 and 90% of people in North America habitually drink caffeine. Daily, about 17 ounces of coffee or 84 ounces of soda are consumed. Studies have proven that 30mg or less of caffeine can alter mood and behavior. 100mg per day can lead to physical dependence. 70% of soft drinks contain caffeine. Caffeine is the most widely consumed mood altering drug in the world.[1]
SO WHY WORRY?
Ok, so caffeine is bad for us and has lots of health risks, but how is this a sustainability issue?
Well, FDA regulations restrict coffee cups from being only recycled paper, so instead, they are typically 100% bleached virgin paperboard that is then coated in a plastic resin to help keep the contents hot. The plastic keeps the contents from leaking, but also prevents the cup from being recyclable. In 2006, 16 billion paper cups were thrown away. This translates into 951 thousand tons of wood, 4 billion gallons of water and 253 million pounds of solid waste.[2]
Some studies have shown that Americans drink more than 100 billion cups of coffee every year. Almost 15 billion of those are bought in disposable paper cups. Paper and cardboard make up over 40% of the solid waste in North American landfills. Of that amount, almost 40% is from disposable coffee cups. The average American office worker uses about 500 disposable cups every year.
Every 3 seconds a baby is born. Every 3 seconds 140 cans are born. A recycled aluminum can can be back on the shelf in 60 days. They are also the most recycled beverage container in the world. Over the past ten years, the amount of recycled cans has doubled, but the average employee consumes 2.5 cans of soda each day at work[3]
Coca-Cola is trying to help with the situation. They have developed a bottle that is made from renewable, recycled plastic and they have built a recycling center to make these bottles. It is a step in the right direction but it is not truly sustainable once the trucks that have to carry all of these bottles are counted in, never mind the power that runs the center. The new bottle design is called PlantBottle and is made by converting natural sugars from plants such as sugar cane and molasses, into a key ingredient for PET plastic. PlantBottle is up to 30% plant based. The next step in research is to use sugar from plant wastes such as stems, barks and fruit peels.[4]
Another issue is how they make something decaffeinated. One of the solvents traditionally used to remove caffeine from coffee beans was methylene chloride, which is a carcinogen that is linked to health problems. Industry is beginning to switch to using liquid carbon dioxide.[5]
Stephen Cherniske, M.S. proposes in his book Caffeine Blues, that if caffeine were to be introduced today as a brand new food additive, the FDA would not approve it due to the many health effects it has. Caffeine is a natural compound found in plants where it serves as a natural pesticide as it works to paralyze insects feeding on the plants. It is a substance that is produced with the sole purpose to harm the creatures that ingest it. There are no studies that show any positive effects from coffee.[6]
THE SOLUTION:
In Boulder, Colorado, there is a coffee shop which is “green”. They have been awarded the “Zero Waste or Darn Near” award from Eco-Cycle and for good reason. They recycle and compost 95% of their waste. They have minimal waste, direct sourcing, trade with local farms and organic beans. This sounds like an ideal that every coffee shop should try to achieve. [7]
A lot of coffee shops also try to give their customers discounts when they bring in their reusable mugs. The initial environmental impact of producing the mugs is greater than that of paper cups, but in theory, the impact should lessen as people reuse the cups. A study showed that a stainless steel mug breaks even after 24 uses. Most mugs are designed to last for at least 3000. The reusable mugs are better for the coffee shops too. The Starbucks Green Team estimated that an average Starbucks store that served drinks in 3 or 4 reusable cups an hour could save hundreds of dollars just in cost of paper cups.[8]
However, not everyone goes to a coffee shop to drink coffee. The new trend is in K-cups which are small, one serving sized coffee plastic cups with aluminum foil lids. With every step forward there is another option back so the biggest way we can make a difference is by trying to reduce our caffeine intake and for that needed boost of caffeine, we can remember to use our own reusable mugs.
[1] http://www.caffeinedependence.org/caffeine_dependence.html
[2] http://www.sustainabilityissexy.com/facts.html
[3]http://www.cancentral.com/funFacts.cfm
[4] http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2010/10/12/lessons-learned-creating-cokes-plantbottle?page=0%2C1
[5] http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2011/02/03/infusing-sustainability-epas-mission
[6] http://www.wethechange.com/coffee-drinkers-beware-facts-about-caffeine-you-did-not-know/
[7] http://1caffeinequeen.wordpress.com/
[8] http://www.sustainabilityissexy.com/facts.html